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“You’re not fine. Did I do this? Did I_”
“Did you what? Break me? That’s some ego you must have, thinking you can alter my brain chemistry with a few words. What is it with you? I tell jokes. You think I’m flirting. I don’t tell jokes, and you think I’m pining. You. Don’t. Know. Me.” She slams the trash cabinet closed. “And trust me when I say you don’t want to.”
“Chelsea.” I place a hand on her cheek to stop this head of steam she’s building. “Stop pretending_”
The woman pulls away and rushes through the back door, slamming it behind her. Struck by her reaction, it takes me a second to give chase. I step forward, wrenching the door open, only to have a big hand clamp down on my shoulder.
Bastien yanks me back, slams the door shut, and spins me around, pinning me to the wall. “What did you do to her?”
Birdie shuffles into the kitchen, eyes wide at the pair of us.
Bastien’s eyes are feral as he repeats the question. “What did you do to Chelsea?”
“I didn’t do a damned thing.”
Bastien pulls me forward and slams me back again. “Bullshit. You must have done or said something for her to run out like that.”
“I swear, I didn’t do anything. I asked Chelsea to show me her true colors. That’s it.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” my friend demands through clenched teeth.
“How about let go of me, and I’ll tell you.”
Bastien shoves off me and storms to the living room, Birdie hot on his tail. He flops onto the sofa and growls, “Start talking.”
I follow only because I know why Bash is pulling this asshat routine. He’s mentioned that Chelsea has no family besides a domineering mother who is no longer in the picture. Because of this, Bastien has taken on the role of overprotective brother since joining Knot’s outfit and being paired with her.
That’s the only reason I’m not kicking his ass right now. “I talked to Chelsea off and on during the Bulgaria mission. I asked why she’s always hiding behind jokes and sarcasm instead of showing people how brilliant she is.”
His mouth goes slack. “What are you talking about? Chelsea is a wiseass. What’s wrong with that? We both served with plenty of them. I don’t see you trying to change Wrench or Skin.”
“Yeah, well, Wrench and Skin don’t freeze up in social situations where strange men make surprise visits, or make fast exits when something other than work is being discussed. They certainly don’t pretend to like something to avoid being singled out.”
“Now, you’re just talking out of your ass,” Bash accuses.
“No, he isn’t.”
We both turn at Birdie’s statement. “I’ve seen it. Chelsea hates beer.”
Bash’s face contorts in either disgust or disbelief. “Then how come she always orders one when the team goes out?”
Birdie shrugs. “She’s always just ordered one, and I’ve never seen her finish. And now that I think about it, she always has other plans when we invite the team to do something more than have drinks after work. We don’t do it often, but she always has an excuse.”
Bastien is on his feet again, doubt beginning to cloud his eyes. “She went rafting with several PMCs before I came. It was an overnight trip. That’s how she got her damned nickname.”
“I remember the story about the snake in the raft,” Birdie confirms. “That was mostly a girl’s trip. Aaron was the only guy.”
Birdie’s explanation deflates Bastien completely. “You don’t think some guy could’ve… She’s never nervous around me.”
“That’s because she was never attracted to you,” the intel genius states. “To answer your question, yes, I think someone hurt Chelsea, but not in the way you fear.”
I nod, fully in agreement with Birdie’s assessment. “Because of whatever happened, Chelsea wears a mask. I saw through it.”
“How is that when you only just met her?” Bash presses.
“I was looking a hell of a lot closer because I want her.”
My friend looks ready to take my head off. Birdie lays a gentle hand on his arm. “Bastien. You, me, all of us took Chelsea at face value because that’s what she wanted. Jackson’s attraction to Chelsea means he sees what she wants to keep hidden. That’s why she’s pushing back. You know as well as I do that if Chelsea had a problem with Pin, she would have made it painfully clear that he should back off.”